First Lady Melania Trump: Our Path Forward
Like all of you, I have reflected on the past year and how the invisible enemy, Covid-19, swept across our beautiful country. All Nations have experienced the loss of loved ones, economic pain, and the negative impacts of isolation.
As your First Lady, it has been inspiring to witness firsthand what the people of our great Nation will do for one another, especially when we are at our most vulnerable.
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
January 9 is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Established six years ago, the day is meant to honor the men and women in blue who risk their own safety to protect us all.
“Over the past year, our nation’s law enforcement professionals have endured all kinds of unwarranted hostility and disrespect,” Fairfax GOP Chairman Steve Knotts said today. “Now more than ever, we owe them a debt of gratitude.”
In 2020, 307 officers died in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Executive Order on Expanding Educational Opportunity Through School Choice
While some families, especially those with financial means, have been able to mitigate school disruptions through in person options such as homeschooling, private schools, charter schools, and innovative models like microschools and “learning pods,” for many families, their children’s residentially assigned public school remains their only financially available option. Unfortunately, more than 50 percent of all public-school students in the United States began school remotely this fall. These children, including those with special needs, are being underserved due to the public education system’s failure to provide in-person learning options.
Students whose families pay tuition for their education are also facing significant hardships due to the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Group Says Fairfax County Teachers Violated Virginia’s Anti-Striking Law with ‘Sick Out’
A nonprofit organization that advocates for families is accusing Fairfax County teachers union officials of violating Virginia law that prohibits public-sector strikes when the union organized with hundreds of teachers to take a mental health sick day in October.
According to Virginia law, a public-sector employee is deemed to have terminated his or her employment if the employee refuses to perform his or her duties as a means to obstruct, impede or suspend an operation of the government employer in concert with two or more employees. The law states such a person will not be eligible for employment by a public agency for 12 months after the strike.
Great Again: Trump Economy Grows Record 33% in 3rd Quarter
The U.S. economy blew the barn doors off all other past recoveries with a record, inflation-adjusted 33.1 percent gain in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — more than any other quarter in economic history — in the last major economic report before the election in November.
That is great news for the American people, and it certainly bodes well for President Donald Trump…
Virginia Parents and Students Need the READ Fund!
Still reeling from months of isolation and difficulties caused by the lackluster roll out of remote learning last Spring, many parents put on a brave face. They endured, fully assuming remote learning was a short-term blip that would soon end. However, the situation has become more dire with the majority of public schools across the Commonwealth using remote learning for the foreseeable future…
FCPS Betrays the Community Again
Superintendent Scott Brabrand served on a statewide taskforce that waived school district accreditation for the 2021-2022 school year! Let that sink in. As the largest school district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I can only imagine the outside influence FCPS brought to bear on this decision.
Why is this significant? As the Virginia Department of Education’s (DOE) website describes, the Standards of Accreditation regulations “establish the state accountability system for the Commonwealth’s public schools and set the requirements students must meet to earn a high school diploma.”
How Fairfax County Public Schools Place National Security at Risk
Fairfax residents have done their part to fight the Covid-19 threat – we’ve socially distanced, worn our masks, washed our hands and sacrificed our livelihoods. More than flatten the curve, Virginia has bent the curve like Beckham and saved lives!
We should all be proud.
Yet here we are – on a leaderless ship going nowhere in Fairfax County. Our School Board has turned its back on its one elected responsibility.
Area Catholic Schools Plan to Reopen Safely
Although Fairfax County Public Schools will remain “online only,” area Catholic schools plan to safely reopen this fall — with “in-person” classroom instruction as well as virtual options.
Dr. Joseph Vorbach is the schools chief for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, which includes Fairfax County. On Tuesday, Dr. Vorbach joined WMAL’s Mornings on the Mall radio program.
Parents Rally for Schools to Reopen
Parents rallied outside the offices of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) on Saturday, demanding a return to in-person education this fall. Following last semester’s disastrous rollout of distance learning, many parents have lost all faith in that educational model. “If that was the beta test, they’re simply not ready for a full year of education online,” FCPS parent and rally attendee John Lewis told NBC 4.